Continental Hockey League (KHL) - The Ottawa Senators finally found a trading partner for Alexander Nikulin (Ottawa Senators), sending the young talented center to the Phoenix Coyotes in exchange for defenseman Drew Fatta. Interestingly the Coyotes, like the Senators have been one of the last teams tending to draft Russian born players. The deal also appears to be at least in part the work of Nikulin's agents, who have strong relationships with the Coyotes and also represent the NHL club's Enver Lisin (Phoenix Coyotes) and used to represent another Phoenix drafted skated Dmitri Pestunov (Phoenix Coyotes) (who was likely drafted as high as he was because of this relationship between the Gretzky camp and at the time IMG agency). This largely represents a new beginning for Nikulin, who will hopefully be able to crack the lineup and skate along side Viktor Tikhonov (Phoenix Coyotes) and possibly Enver Lisin (Phoenix Coyotes), who is currently on an assignment to the AHL.

Russian Super League - Find out more about the changes that took place within last season's top four clubs in the Super League. Some such as Avangard Omsk and Metallurg Magnitogorsk have strived to stay on the same trek. Others, such as the league's favorite Ak Bars Kazan that is known for the high flying Morozov - Zinovjev - Zaripov line, coped with some significant changes. Finally CSKA has significantly strengthened the roster despite losing a couple of talented players. READ MORE

Russian Super League -
Dmitri Pestunov (Phoenix Coyotes) today netted a hattrick against HC Neftkhimik. The talented young center has continued to climb in HC Metallurg’s depth, especially since the departure of club’s top centers Evgeny Malkin and Alexei Kaigorodov to Pittsburgh and Ottawa respectively.

Russian Super League - Dmitri Pestunov (Phoenix Coyotes) suffered an injury during the quarterfinals match up against Lada. The young forward was hit and landed acquardly on the ice, breaking his collar bone. The injury is not serious and will heal completely, but it did keep him out of the lineup for most of the Lada and the Avangard quarterfinals and semifinals series. Pestunov has enjoyed a strong season after an average sophomore 2004-05 campaign, when he struggled to produce and break through Metallurg’s depth at center and was eventually loaned to Spartak (Moscow) prior to the playoffs. This season he centered the club’s third line, getting significant ice time and enjoying a lot of success point wise (22 points (6G+16A) in 52 games), but also more importantly in the level of responsibility and his performance at both ends of the ice.

Russian Super League - Sergei Fedorov’s (Anaheim Mighty Ducks) younger brother Fedor Fedorov (Vancouver Canucks) made his Super League debut earlier in the season with Spartak (Moscow), where he centered the top line and impressed enough to merit an invitation to the national team. RussianProspects has learned that the young forward has been loaned by Spartak (Moscow) to Metallurg (Magnitogorsk) for the remainder of the season. In the case of a lockout next season, the young forward is signed by Spartak through 2005-06. In return, Metallurg sent Dmitri Pestunov (Phoenix Coyotes) to Moscow for the remainder of the season.

Size and Physical Play: At 5’9 and 194 pounds, Dmitri is a stocky guy with a strong frame. His height does cause some concern

Back In Russia:

Dmitri started his career in Ust Kamenogorsk, Kazakhstan. He spent the 1999-2000 season with Gazovik Tyumen and then moved on to join Metallurg Magnitagorsk’s farm system. In 2002-03 season, Dmitri managed to crack Metallurg’s roster and has been contributing on the team’s fourth line. After all the drastic changes in Metallurg, Dmitri’s responsibilities grew and his fourth line has been a regular contributor on the board. Last he made his debut on Russia’s ’85 National Team. This year he built on his strong performance with Metallurg by earning a roster spot on Russia’s U20 National team at the WJC.

NHL Outlook:

The Phoenix Coyotes drafted Dmitri Pestunov with their second pick, 80th overall in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. His maturity and hockey sense are of a player beyond his young age. Dmitri was not fortunate with a tall frame, but he has solid skating, great passing and good puck handling. He is a gifted center with a lot of potential and overall, Dmitri’s NHL upside is all the way on the first or second line. His stock should continue to grow this coming season and if not for his smaller frame, Dmitri would have been a top 10 pick in ’03 draft. Look for Pestunov to continue developing with Metallurg Magnitagorsk. He is one of the club's up and coming young forwards and will likely continue earning ice time on the third or fourth lines. He will also be on Russia's U20 national team's roster.